Night markets, a tradition in East Asian countries, operate in the evening, as the name suggests. This may come as a shock to Bostonians, since this is famously the city that sleeps, but night markets, which have a variety of food vendors as well as entertainment and shops while giving citizens a fun way to sample new cuisines and support local businesses, have gained popularity across the US, and on Sept 7 Boston Night Market will host its third event in City Hall Plaza.

“Growing up, as Asian Americans born and raised in Boston, we’ve always heard stories from our parents and grandparents about the bustling night markets in their hometowns in Asia,” BNM organizers told DigBoston. The team decided to set up shop here in order to share their culture with their home city. They continued, “As we grew older, we came to experience the night markets in Asia ourselves through our travels. Combining those experiences with our upbringings in Boston, we wanted to share our vision of a night market with the city we call home.”

This year, attendees can look forward to even more vendors than were at past events, as well as returning favorites like kow kow’s egg puff ice cream, Riceburg’s rice bun burgers, and Tammy’s Pizza Cones. Festivalgoers should also look forward to new vendors like Taiyaki NYC, who make Japanese fish-shaped waffles with ice cream, Fuji at Ink Block, with its contemporary Japanese cuisine, Chick’n Bunz, who’s bringing fried chicken sandwiches, and Nicolena’s cheesecake on a stick.

While there are plenty of other food festivals in the area, Night Market sets itself apart from other events—not just for the time, but because it’s more than just a food fest. “In addition to all the awesome food and merchandise at the event, our goal is to create an exciting atmosphere and memorable experiences for our attendees,” the team said.

This year’s entertainment will be announced soon, but the Spring 2019 event included performances from DJ Wuwu, MC Chad Shabazz, Singer My-Ngan Tran, and several dance crews. You can also expect plenty of photo ops, wild lighting, and carnival-style amusements. 

“One of the biggest hits at our event are the games and prizes—we have super cute plushies that you can win by playing ring toss, nerf shooting, water pong, and others,” organizers promised. So while inventive food options drive the festival, the thoughtful extras make trip and $11 cover charge well worth it.

“While our night market was inspired by the traditional night markets you see in Asia, we wanted to bring our own vision of a night market to life,” BNM said. “As Boston kids born and raised, we wanted to create an event that was uniquely Boston and showcase the incredible and diverse food, merchandise, and talent here.” 

BOSTON NIGHT MARKET ON CITY HALL PLAZA. 9.7, 4-10PM. MORE INFO AT NIGHTMARKETBOSTON.COM.